Part 2

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• mavo, havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 1

Part 2

The orange colour shows a grammar subject from the Basics. You can click the Basics tab on the left to find the explanation.

The blue colour shows words that might be new or difficult. You can use an online dictionary to find the meaning. You can add these to your personal word list.

Questions in English will be answered in English. Questions in Dutch can be answered in English and Dutch.

FACT OR FICTION? Basis

Today we're going to read several (news) articles which may or may not be true. Can you guess which articles are fact and which articles are fiction?

Article 1: Squirrel selfie goes wrong

Task 1 - Before you read the article

1. Look at the photo. What can you see? Where was this picture taken? What do you think happened?

ARTICLE

AUBURN, Maine —It started as just a perfect photo opportunity. Brian Genest, 17, was walking through John Chestnut Park in Palm Harbor when he spotted what looked like a friendly squirrel on one of the fences. So Brian walked up to it.

"When I got close enough, the squirrel actually tried grabbing my phone, I shook it off, and then snapped the first photo," Brian said.

Brian wanted to take a selfie with the little furry creature, but once the first flash went off, the squirrel went wild.

"Next thing I knew, the squirrel was on my shoulder, then under my shirt, and then hanging off my back," he said.

Brian’s mother was standing by with the camera and continued to take photos as the squirrel climbed up her son's back. "I look up and I see her with her camera taking pictures of me, and I just started laughing because I knew she got at least one good photo,” Brian said.

Brian was able to free himself from the squirrel and said he wasn't injured. After his soon-to-be brother-in-law put the picture online, everyone wanted to chat with the squirrel selfie superstar.

Brian said he doesn't mind his newfound fame. He also has a new nickname at school: "squirrel boy.

Task 2. Translate the English words into Dutch.

opportunity
Grabbing
Shook
Furry creature
fences
injured
nickname

Task 3.

Read the article quickly and answer these questions:

1. Where did the scene take place?

2. What was the boy trying to do when it happened?

3. What did the squirrel do?

4. Did the story end well?

5. Does Brian hate his ‘newfound fame’?

6. In the sentence: ‘the squirrel climbed up her son's back’, what does the ‘s stand for?

Task 4

Read the text again. Who are they talking about when they are talking about:

a) the little furry creature? They are talking about...

b) the squirrel selfie superstar? They are talking about...

c) ‘He’ in the last line? They are talking about...

Article 2: The Exploding Toilet

Task 5 - Before you read the article

1. Look at the title. What do you think happened?

ARTICLE

Florida- A man was working on his motorcycle and somehow, the motorcycle slipped into gear. The man, still holding the handlebars, was dragged through a glass door and along with the motorcycle dumped onto the floor inside the house. The wife, hearing the crash, ran into the dining room, and found her husband on the floor, cut and bleeding. The wife ran to the phone and called an ambulance.

After the ambulance arrived, the husband went to the hospital. The wife saw that there was some gasoline leaking onto the floor. She picked up some paper towels, swiped away the gasoline, and threw the towels in the toilet. The husband was treated at the hospital and came home later that day.

After arriving home, he looked at the shattered door and the damage done to his motorcycle. He went into the bathroom, sat on the toilet and smoked a cigarette. After finishing the cigarette, he dropped it between his legs into the toilet bowl while still seated. The wife, who was in the kitchen, heard a loud explosion and her husband screaming. She called for an ambulance.

The same ambulance crew was called. The paramedics loaded the husband on the stretcher and began carrying him to the street. While they were going down the stairs, one of the paramedics asked the wife how the husband had burned himself. She told them the story and the paramedics started laughing so hard, one of them tipped the stretcher and dumped the husband out. He fell down the steps and broke his arm.

Talking about a bad day...

Task 6 Translate the English words into Dutch.

Slipped
Handlebars
dragged
gasoline
treated
shattered
paramedics

Task 7. Read the article and answer these questions:

1. What happened when the man was working on his motorcycle?

2. Was the man badly hurt?

3. The wife threw the paper towels in the toilet. Do you think that that was a good idea? Please explain.

5. Why did the man smoke a cigarette on the toilet? The wife heard a loud explosion. What do you think happened?

6. What happened when the wife told the story to the paramedics?

7. What does the writer mean with the sentence ‘Talking about a bad day..’?

FACT OR FICTION?

Task 8

1. Which one of these stories is true? Which one of these two stories do you think actually happened? Explain why in about three lines.

 

2. Can you think of a similar story or fact? Please think of one fact/story that isn’t true and the other one that is true.

You can use the internet to browse for stories. Prepare these stories and tell them to a / your classmate(s). Your classmate(s) has to guess which one was true and which one wasn’t. Use the Present Simple to describe facts.

You're done! Up next Part 3